A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced a former minister of power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years' imprisonment in absentia over money laundering and fraud to the tune of about N33.8 billion.
The court convicted Mamman on all 12 counts of money laundering and fraud filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, ordered that the prison terms would run consecutively, not concurrently, and would commence from the date of his arrest.
Justice Omotosho sentenced Mamman to seven years’ imprisonment each on counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without an option of fine.
He was also sentenced to three years in prison on count 4 with an option of a N10m fine and three years' imprisonment without an option of a fine on count 5.
According to the judge, Mamman’s absence in court for the judgement and sentencing was an intentional attempt to frustrate the administration of justice; however, the court agreed with the EFCC counsel to sentence the defendant despite his absence, which is in accordance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Justice Omotosho ordered all security agencies to arrest and hand over Mamman to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to start serving his sentence.
Mamman served under former President Muhammadu Buhari and was arraigned in July 2024.
More details later.